Office accessory system suspendible from a vertical surface

Abstract

An office accessory system for attachment to a wall-mounted load bar for suspension from a vertical surface includes an office accessory suitable for use in either a vertical or horizontal orientation and a pair of mounting brackets. The mounting brackets are attached to the load bar, and the office accessory has two opposite sides which cooperate with the mounting brackets to permit the accessory to be supported from the load bar in either its vertical or horizontal positions of use. When utilized to attach the accessory to the load bar, the mounting brackets are substantially hidden from view.

We claim: 
     
       1. A pair of mounting brackets for mounting an office accessory in either a horizontal position or a vertical position on a wall mounting, the wall mounting including a generally vertical surface having an uppermost horizontal edge; the pair of mounting brackets comprising: first and second mirror image L-shaped mounting brackets, each of the first and second brackets including a first generally planar leg portion having parallel upper and lower edges and a lug receiving opening between the edges for receiving a lug carried by an associated end of the office accessory when the bracket is operatively associated to a corresponding end of the office accessory, and a second leg portion having a second generally planar portion disposed at substantially right angles to the first generally planar portion, the second generally planar portion being generally vertical when the mounting brackets are in their normal operational position, the second leg further including an upper hook portion carried by an upper portion of the second generally planar portion.   
     
     
       2. The pair of mounting brackets as set forth in claim 1 wherein each lug receiving opening is a circular aperture. 
     
     
       3. The pair of mounting brackets as set forth in claim 1 wherein each upper hook portion is of an inverted J-shape having a horizontal upper edge substantially the same length as the second generally planar portion. 
     
     
       4. The pair of mounting brackets as set forth in claim 1 wherein the second leg portion of each of the first and second L-shaped brackets is disposed inwardly of the first generally planar leg portion when the L-shaped mounting brackets are associated with a corresponding end of the office accessory. 
     
     
       5. An office accessory adapted to be mounted in either a vertical position or a horizontal position upon a wall mounting by a pair of spaced apart mounting brackets, the wall mounting having a generally vertical surface and an uppermost horizontal edge, and each bracket being provided with a hook adapted to engage the uppermost horizontal edge, a portion adapted to lie against the vertical surface of the wall mounting, and a first generally planar leg portion which, when the mounting bracket is in its normal operational position, is in vertical orientation and at right angles to the vertical surface of the wall mounting; the office accessory comprising: a box-like structure having, when vertically oriented, a front side, a back side, a bottom side, and right and left opposite ends interconnected to the sides, each of the ends being provided with two detent means each capable of temporarily keeping the first leg portion of an associated mounting bracket in a certain position, the first detent means being open to the back and the second detent means being open to the bottom, each of the detent means including stop means spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the height of the first generally planar leg portion and means engagable with the first leg portion of an associated mounting bracket to prevent its relative movement with respect to the associated end; and   right and left end caps, each right and left end cap being removably mounted to an associated right or left end of the box-like structure, respectively, and capable, when mounted in position of trapping the first leg portion of an associated bracket within the associated detent means but permitting the removal of the associated leg portion when the end cap is removed.   
     
     
       6. The office accessory as set forth in claim 5 wherein each generally planar leg portion is provided with a circular aperture, and the means engagable with the leg portion to prevent its relative movement is a hollow cylindrical projection. 
     
     
       7. The office accessory as set forth in claim 6 wherein each end cap is provided with lugs adapted to be disposed within the associated hollow cylindrical projection. 
     
     
       8. The office accessory as set forth in claim 5 wherein each generally planar leg portion is provided with upper and lower parallel sides, and wherein the stop means includes parallel walls spaced apart from each other a distance slightly greater than the width of the generally planar leg portion. 
     
     
       9. An office accessory system for mounting an office accessory in either a horizontal position or a vertical position on a wall mounting which includes a generally vertical surface having an uppermost horizontal edge, the office accessory system comprising: first and second mirror image L-shaped mounting brackets, each mounting bracket including a first generally planar leg portion which, when the mounting bracket is in its normal position, is in vertical orientation and at right angles to the vertical surface of the wall mounting, the first leg portion having parallel upper and lower edges and a lug receiving opening between the edges, and a second leg portion having a generally planar portion disposed at substantially right angles to the first generally planar portion and adapted to lie against the vertical surface of the wall mounting, the second leg portion further including an upper hook portion adapted to be disposed over the uppermost horizontal edge of the wall mounting; and   an office accessory adapted to be temporarily secured to the pair of mirror image mounting brackets in either a first position wherein the office accessory is disposed in a vertical position, or in a second position wherein the office accessory is disposed in a horizontal position, the office accessory including a box-like structure having, when vertically mounted, a front side, a back side, a bottom side, and right and left opposite ends interconnected to the sides, each of the ends being provided with two detent means each capable of temporarily keeping the first leg portion of an associated mirror image mounting bracket in a certain position, the first detent means being open to the back, and the second detent means being open to the bottom, each of the detent means including parallel stop means spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the height of the first leg portion, and a lug engagable with the lug receiving opening to prevent movement of an associated mounting bracket relative to the box-like structure, and   right and left end caps removably mounted on an associated right or left end of the box-like structure, respectively, and capable, when mounted in position of trapping the first leg portion of the associated bracket within the associated detent means but permitting the removal of the associated leg portion when the end cap is removed.     
     
     
       10. The office accessory system as set forth in claim 9 wherein the lug receiving opening for each of the first and second L-shaped mounting brackets is a circular aperture, and the lug is a hollow cylindrical projection. 
     
     
       11. The office accessory system as set forth in claim 10 wherein each end cap is provided with projections adapted to be disposed within the associated hollow cylindrical projection. 
     
     
       12. The office accessory system as set forth in claim 9 wherein each upper hook portion is of an inverted J-shape having a horizontal upper edge substantially the same length as the second generally planar portion. 
     
     
       13. The office accessory system as set forth in claim 9 wherein the second leg portion of each of the first and second L-shaped mounting brackets is disposed inwardly of the first generally planar leg portion when the L-shaped mounting brackets are associated with a corresponding end of the office accessory.